U.S. patent number 3,718,083 [Application Number 05/146,066] was granted by the patent office on 1973-02-27 for poultry processing apparatus.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ralston Purina Company. Invention is credited to Roger E. Walters.
United States Patent |
3,718,083 |
Walters |
February 27, 1973 |
POULTRY PROCESSING APPARATUS
Abstract
Apparatus is shown for injecting a material into a poultry
product whereby the injection needles may be provided at a location
remote from the pump and shut-off valve controlling the flow of
material to the injecting apparatus. The injection apparatus
consists of a needle assembly having the needles provided at a
predetermined angle to the handle on the needle assembly such that
when the operator holds the injection apparatus in the normal
position, the needles are positioned to prevent the injection
material from leaking or dripping therefrom. Further, since there
is substantially no leakage of injection material from the needles,
it is possible to inject birds with a desired quantity of fluid
within very low tolerances.
Inventors: |
Walters; Roger E. (Glendale,
MO) |
Assignee: |
Ralston Purina Company (St.
Louis, MO)
|
Family
ID: |
22515725 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/146,066 |
Filed: |
May 24, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
99/532;
99/346 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A22C
17/0053 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A22C
17/00 (20060101); A23b 001/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;99/257,256 ;27/24
;128/216,233,333,339 ;239/333 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
148,603 |
|
Oct 1952 |
|
AU |
|
788,418 |
|
Jul 1935 |
|
FR |
|
804,904 |
|
Aug 1936 |
|
FR |
|
Primary Examiner: Jenkins; Robert W.
Assistant Examiner: Henderson; Arthur O.
Claims
We claim:
1. Apparatus for injecting a basting material into the flesh of
poultry substantially without leakage of the basting material
comprising: a pump connected to a source of basting material, a
control valve connected to said pump for controlling the flow of
basting material to be injected, a needle assembly for injecting
the basting material into the poultry product, a flexible hose
connecting said control valve into said needle assembly, said hose
having a sufficiently low coefficient of expansion to substantially
prevent the build-up of residual pressure in the hose, said needle
assembly including a handle member and at least one injection
needle having injection openings therein, said handle member being
at a predetermined angle of about 30.degree. - 60.degree. to said
needle such that when the operator holds the needle assembly with
the needle in a horizontal position sufficient leverage for
effecting the ready insertion and removal of the needle from the
poultry product being injected is obtained from said handle member
and when the operator holds the needle assembly in an at-rest
position the needle is inclined, the injection openings in said
needle being sufficiently small that the surface tension of the
material within the needle in combination with the prevention of
build-up of residual pressure in the hose substantially prevents
the basting material from leaking from the injection openings when
the needle is inclined.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the angle is
45.degree..
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the needle assembly
has two needles.
4. Apparatus for injecting a material into a poultry product
substantially without leakage of the material wherein the needle
assembly is located at a position remote from the pump and control
valve assembly which supplies the injection material from a source
to the needle assembly comprising: a flexible hose connecting the
pump and control valve to the needle assembly, said hose having a
sufficiently low coefficient of expansion to substantially prevent
the build-up of pressure in the hose, said needle assembly
consisting of a manifold member, at least one hollow needle
connected to said manifold, said needle having injection openings
therein, and a handle member connected to said manifold at a
predetermined angle to said needles such that when the operator
holds the needle assembly in an at-rest position the needles are
inclined to the hose connected thereto and the injection openings
in said needle being sufficiently small that the surface tension of
the material within the needle in combination with the prevention
of build-up of residual pressure in the hose substantially prevents
the basting material from leaking from the injection openings when
the needle is inclined.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said handle member
comprises a rigid supply line portion connected to said hose and to
said manifold at the predetermined angle and a hand hold member
connected to said supply line portion at substantially a right
angle thereto such that when the operator holds the injecting
apparatus in the at-rest position the needle is inclined to the
supply line portion.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein two needles are
provided on the manifold and the needles are provided at an angle
of about 30.degree.-60.degree. from said handle member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of injection equipment for supplying a basting or flavoring
material to poultry products is well known. However, these types of
basting equipment have generally been of two classes. The first
class utilized a control or metering valve physically connected to
the injection needles for controlling the supply of material to the
needles. While this arrangement was somewhat satisfactory in
substantially preventing the leakage of materials from the needles,
the physical arrangement was somewhat cumbersome and difficult to
work with. When only a one-way check valve was employed at the
nozzle, difficulty was experienced in manipulating the injection
needles and leakage of the material from needles was still
experienced. Further, difficulty was encountered with a one-way
check valve in that the desired degree of metering of basting
material to the needle could not be accomplished since the valve
operation did not permit rapid enough cut-off of the injection or
basting material.
The second class of apparatus utilized consisted of a fixed
manifold having a plurality of needles thereon and required moving
the poultry to the needles rather than moving the injection
equipment to the poultry. This was necessitated by the controls
attached to the needles to keep the material supplied to the
needles from leaking or dripping therefrom.
Thus, each of these classes of apparatus had the undesirable or
disadvantageous feature of not permitting the injection needles to
be utilized at a location remote from the injection pump and
control or metering valve and still attain the desired control of
the quantity of material being injected. Further, these remote
location injection needles had the undesirable characteristic of
permitting leakage or dripping of the injection or basting material
from the needles following injection so that extreme difficulty was
encountered in insuring that the desired quantity of material would
be injected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An improved apparatus for injecting a material into a poultry
product is disclosed which comprises a needle assembly remote from
the injection pump and control valve having a rigid supply line
portion connected to a manifold containing at least one injection
needle, a hand hold member connected to the rigid supply line for
the operator to hold the needle assembly, and the injection needles
being positioned at a predetermined angle to the hand hold member,
so that when the operator's hand is in its normal position the
injection needles are inclined to prevent the injection material
from leaking or dripping from the needle assembly.
It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to
provide a needle assembly for injecting a basting or flavoring
material into a poultry product which may be located at a position
which is remote from the pump and control valve supplying the
basting material to the needle assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a needle
assembly arrangement which substantially prevents the dripping or
leakage of injection material from the needle following
injection.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide
injection apparatus which is substantially free of dripping or
leakage which permits greater control and accuracy of the quantity
of material being injected.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention
will become more apparent from the description which follows
hereafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of the injection apparatus embodying
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the needle assembly of the present
invention when in an at rest position; and
FIG. 3. is an elevation view of the needle assembly of the present
invention when positioned for injecting the poultry.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is concerned with an improved injection
apparatus and more particularly with providing a needle assembly
which may be located at a position remote from the control valve
and pump. The preferred use of the improved apparatus is for
injecting a material into a poultry product. In addition, the
invention is concerned with preventing leakage or loss of the
injection material from the needles so that the injection
quantities may be uniformly regulated. The material to be injected
may be selected from any of the group of materials, which are
essentially aqueous materials, normally injected into poultry
products, such as a basting material or a flavoring material.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a tank 2 is utilized for holding the
aqueous material to be injected. If desired, a cooling coil may be
provided about the tank 2 for maintaining the injection material in
a cooled condition as it is held prior to injection. A sanitary
pump 4 is provided within the tank for supplying the aqueous
basting or flavoring material to the needle assembly. The pump 4 is
a standard pump which may be adjusted to supply a predetermined
volume of injection material per stroke of the pump. Such pumps are
commercially available from suppliers such as Graco Pump Company
and are well known to the art. A control panel 6 is utilized for
controlling the number of cycles of the pump 4. A hose 8 connects
the pump 4 with the needle assembly, indicated generally at 10. The
hose 8 should be flexible to allow for operator manipulation,
however, the hose should be of a material and thickness which has a
very low coefficient of expansion. The significance of using a hose
having a low coefficient of expansion will become clear in the
description hereinafter. A control or shut-off valve 12 is provided
in the hose 8 between the pump 4 and the needle assembly 10 for
serving as a fast acting high pressure cut-off to interrupt the
flow of material from the pump to the needle assembly. The shut-off
valve 12 is controlled by the control panel 6 so that said valve is
opened and closed substantially simultaneously with the operation
of the pump 4. To complete the description of the injection
apparatus, it should be noted, that a foot switch 14 is connected
to the control panel 6 such that activation of the foot switch
serves to activate the pump 4 and open the shut-off valve 12
permitting the material to be supplied from the tank 2 through the
pump 4 control valve 12 and conduit 8 to the needle assembly 10
which may be located at a position remote from the pump and control
valve. Additionally, it should be noted that the activation of the
foot switch 14 starts the stroke counter for the pump 4 so that
only a predetermined number of strokes of the pump 4 will be made.
Upon completion of the desired number of strokes of the pump 4, the
pump is deactivated and the shut off valve 12 closed to interrupt
the flow of material from tank 2 to needle assembly 12.
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the needle assembly indicated
generally at 10 is shown in greater detail. Particularly, the
needle assembly 10 consists of a rigid supply line portion 16 which
has one end thereof provided for connection to the flexible conduit
8, and the other end thereof is provided for receipt within an
angled conduit member 18, such as an ell. This angled conduit
member 18 is preferably provided with an angle of about 30.degree.
to 60.degree. and more particularly, is at a 45.degree. angle to
the rigid supply line 16. The angled conduit 18 is connected to a
manifold member 20 which is adapted to receive at least one hollow
injection needle 22. For convenience, the needle assembly 10 is
shown as having two needles in the preferred embodiment. The
needles 22 may be received within the manifold 20 by suitable
means, such as being threadedly received and are sized to suit the
operator's preference depending on the type of poultry product to
be injected. If desired, set-screw collars 24 may be provided on
the needles 22 for controlling the depth of penetration of the
needles within the poultry product to be injected. In addition, a
hand hold member 26 is provided on the rigid supply line 16 at a
90.degree. angle thereto, by suitable means such as a sanitary
weld. It should be noted that the relationship between the hand
hold member 26 and the angle of the needles 22 thereto is such that
when the operator holds the needle assembly 10 in a normal or at
rest position (as in FIG. 2) the needles 22 are inclined to prevent
the injection material from leaking therefrom. Further, this angle
between the hand hold member 26 and needles 22 is such that when
the needles are in a horizontal position for injection the operator
will still be able to obtain sufficient leverage for effecting the
ready insertion and removal of the needles 22 from the poultry
product being injected. It should also be realized that it is not
necessary that the needles be provided at an angle to the rigid
supply line portion but rather that the critical angle of
30.degree. to 60.degree. and preferably 45.degree. be defined
between the needles 22 and the hand hold member 26. As is obvious,
this could be effected by providing the hand hold member at an
angle to the supply line portion 16 rather than in the position
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
In order to obtain the desired no leakage character of the subject
needle assembly and to permit its location at a point remote from
the control or shut-off valve 12, it is important that the flexible
hose have a low coefficient of expansion. This is important because
during the injection of material into a poultry product, there will
be a back pressure or resistance from the poultry to the fluid
being injected. Thus, following injection when the needles would be
removed from the poultry product, the return of the hose to normal
position if a large coefficient of expansion existed would serve to
force the basting or injection material from the hose and needles.
Additionally, the size openings in the needles 22 should be
selected to permit the surface tension of the fluid within the
needles from leaking out when the needles are removed from
injection. Typically when injecting a substantially aqueous
material and using a pump pressure of about 300 -- 400 psi,
satisfactory results have been obtained with needles having an
internal diameter of approximately one-eighth inch and having three
openings of about 0.05 inches in diameter when using a hose having
a very low coefficient of expansion. Of course, other combinations
could be utilized to substantially prevent leakage from occuring
through the needles if the hose has a sufficiently low coefficient
of expansion to retard residual pressure build up and the needle
openings are sufficiently small for the surface tension of the
injection material to prevent leakage from occuring therefrom.
In the operation of the subject invention the needle assembly will
be positioned substantially as shown in FIG. 2; with the needles 22
in an elevated position to substantially prevent the leakage or
dripping of the injection material therefrom. When the poultry
product is presented for injection, the operator manipulates the
needle assembly substantially to the position shown in FIG. 3 with
the needles in a substantially horizontal position and the needles
are inserted into the poultry product to be injected. The operator
then activates the foot switch 14 which causes the control panel 6
to activate the pump 4 and open the shut-off valve 12 which serves
to supply the injection material from the tank 2 to the needle
assembly 10 as previously discussed. The pump 4 is operated for the
desired number of strokes as set on the control panel 6, to supply
the desired quantity of injection material to the needle assembly
10 and thereafter the pump 4 is deactivated and the shut-off valve
12 closed. Since the material being injected is injected against a
back pressure, the completion of the pumping cycle and closure of
the control valve 12 serves to trap the injection material within
the needle assembly 10 and flexible conduit 8 to the control valve
12. Thereafter, when the operator removes the needle assembly to
the normal or at rest position, the elevation of the needles 22
serves to prevent any leakage or dripping of the injecting material
from the needles 22. Additionally, since the hose is selected to
prevent residual pressure being generated by the expansion thereof
and since the needle openings are sized to permit the surface
tension or capillary action of the injection material to prevent
leakage therefrom, there is substantially no loss or leakage of
injection material from the injection apparatus. Thus, each
injection cycle of the subject apparatus serves to supply
substantially the same quantity of material as did the previous
injection cycle.
In view of the foregoing, it is readily apparent that a novel
needle assembly and injection apparatus has been disclosed which
permits the utilization of the needle assembly at a point remote
from the supply pump and control valve without the usual problem of
leakage, and which permits substantially uniform quantities of
injection material to be supplied from the apparatus, and that
other modifications and changes may be made in the specific
apparatus without departing from the spirit of the invention
defined by the claims which follow.
* * * * *